Last Lap: Who’s Hip-Hop’s Highest Paid Star?

M.I.A. shows us the album art for her next LP, R. Kelly talks about the violence in his native Chicago, and Kings Of Leon get back to their roots on their new LP, making fans recall their early days.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was named the top earning celebrity in hip-hop by Forbes magazine, reportedly raking in $50 million in the past year. Jay Z was second on the list with $43 million earned.[E!]

Even with Matangi not dropping until November, M.I.A. fans can check out her trippy album art right now.[The Daily Swarm]

Chicago’s gun violence epidemic is making national news, and R. Kelly thinks it’s time to seriously tackle the problem. He wants to initiate conversations in the community and even thinks President Barack Obama should get involved. [Vibe]

As Kings Of Leon’s Mechanical Bull is released 10 years after the band first appeared on the scene, the clip below looks back at one of their early MTV interviews. [MTV News]